The blog of fantasy author Shanna Swendson. Read about my adventures in publishing and occasionally life.

Monday, February 09, 2015

Not Getting Stuff Done

That whole Weekend of Getting Stuff Done plan didn't end up happening. There was a ballet production I decided I wanted to see, and tickets were plentiful, so I drove to Fort Worth to see The Merry Widow, a ballet based on the operetta. The dancing was wonderful and the costumes were utterly gorgeous, more evening attire than traditional ballet costumes. I figure it counts as research since I'm writing about a dancer, but I also found it interesting watching the non-verbal communication. Unlike a lot of ballets, this was very plot-intensive. I'm not sure I could have followed it entirely without the summary in the program (and a lot of the people around me were confused even with the summary), but it was still interesting seeing just how much could be conveyed about emotions and relationships just from body language. I caught myself mentally supplying narration from the various characters' point of view, just to see how I'd write it based on what I was seeing.

The plot was about a wealthy widow who was much in demand. If she married a foreigner and moved out of her small (fictional) European country with all her money, it might bankrupt her country, so her country's delegation in Paris was trying to make sure she married one of them. The suitor they picked to go after her turned out to actually have been a former lover of hers from when she was a young peasant girl. He rejected her on the urgings of his family because of her class (I guess she later married a really wealthy man who didn't care about her origins). When they're reunited, all the old feelings return, but can she be sure he really loves her and doesn't just want her for her money? I thought it was interesting how the dancers conveyed that sense of affection combined with distance. There was clearly a strong attraction but also a strong sense of pain and pride on her part -- she wasn't going to let him hurt her again. Anyway, I think it was time well-spent.

I didn't get much done on Sunday, either, since I had to do preschool Sunday school and direct the preschool/kindergarten choir to sing in church. Then there was a reception after church and grocery shopping, and lunch and reading the newspaper, and next thing I knew, it was time to cook dinner. So that means the Getting Stuff Done has been moved to today. I need to get paint and some supplies and start some of the prep work -- a few drywall patches, doing some texture on the walls that previously held wallpaper. I think I need to make a detailed list of all the work that needs to be done so I can tick off the boxes. The big things for me, other than general decluttering and cleaning, are the sheetrock repair and painting and doing something about the kitchen floor. Otherwise, I need to get a plumber in for a bunch of little things, replace a window and then decide if two of the ceiling fans need to be replaced or if I can get by (they work but are noisy).

In the meantime, there's writing work to be done. Today I need to finish the cover copy for book 2 and outline and write preliminary cover copy for book 3 (just to get my head straight).